- Ayaz hits out at curbing aspirations of people through direct, indirect adventurism
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has said that the observance of the International Democracy Day in Pakistan will strengthen the pro-democracy forces and discourage potential dictators from curbing the aspirations of the people through direct and indirect adventurism.
He said this in his message on the International Democracy Day being commemorated across the world under the auspicious of the United Nations (UN) on September 15 (Friday). Ayaz said that democracy contributes powerfully to economic and social progress, international peace and security as well as respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.
“Democracy is essential to achieving our fundamental goals of peace, human rights and development,” he said, adding that the democracy was a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.
“In order to achieve this objective, it is incumbent upon the political leadership to shun their political differences and join hands to strengthen the democratic process in the country,” he suggested. “The beauty of democracy is that it finds indigenous solutions to the complex problems bedeviling the polity,” he said.
He said that the democracy encourages participation of citizens, who are the real stakeholders, in taking charge of their lives. The public participation and ownership of the state policies was the bedrock of democracy, he said. Ayaz said that democracy was underpinned by the principle of consensus within diverse sets of opinion.
“Hence, democracy creates unity in diversity and diversity in unity in a linguistically, ethnically and sub-culturally broad context,” the speaker said and reaffirmed that continuous electoral process ensures a democratic dispensation in the Pakistan.
Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi also said that the progressive political forces were united on the issues of national importance and the parliament was actively engaged in the welfare of the masses. He said that successive derailing of democracy in the past has badly hampered the growth and development of national institutions. “Democracy is the only way to guarantee our stability and to ensure our economic and social progress,” he said.